


The Plan

by blinessi



Category: Sleepy Hollow (TV)
Genre: Family, Magic-Users, Major Original Character(s), Original Character(s), Slow Burn, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-17
Updated: 2015-07-22
Packaged: 2018-04-09 17:26:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4357910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blinessi/pseuds/blinessi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With the threat of the Apocalypse behind them, Abbie and Ichabod try to create a future for themselves. But as Grace Dixon mentioned, they may have won a battle, the war is still on and soldiers from the past had made their way in Sleepy Hollow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at fanfic, I hope you'll enjoy the reading as much as I'm enjoying the writing! Also, I'm not a native English speaker so feel free to pinpoint any mistake!  
> Good reading...

Chapter 1 

New York - 1843 

Martha smiled to herself, her journey had been tiring but eventually successful. This Mr Pratt was a low man in the worst way but she managed to lower his price just by her power of persuasion. She was positive that Johnny would be satisfied by the transaction. Thinking of her employer, Martha sobered immediately. She wasn't proud of being the "henchwoman" of such a disreputable personage but he offered her his protection and never reneged on his word. 

The arrival of the diligence for Sleepy Hollow interrupted her musing. The young woman pulled her baggage towards the carriage only to have it ripped from her hand. She was about to shout thief when her eyes met a smiling face.  
\- May I? This looks heavy.

The young man appeared innocent enough -and charming as well- and the luggage was indeed heavy so she let him.

***

Sleepy Hollow - Present Day 

\- Any progress?  
\- Not since the last scan. It might just have been a reflex...  
\- But she seems to be responsive, she's...  
\- Listen, I know it's hard to hear but it's been ten days. Eventually somebody will have to make a decision for her. Besides, we can't keep a Jane Doe here, you know that.  
\- She's not a Jane Doe!  
\- One last name isn't a ID! The only reason I haven't notify the authority is because you and I go way back but I can't wait any longer. Maybe someone is looking for her.  
\- Kevin, please. You said we could trust you.  
\- OK. Two more days, that's it, then I report her.

***

The Hudson River Valley - 1843

This man was insufferable! He hadn't stopped talking since the departure of the carriage and his charms had faded away proportionally with his idle talk about his passionate employment as a post office clerk. Martha politely stiffed a yawn when he- a Mr Daniel Langford- started to detail the history of the envelope while wondering if she could finish the journey on foot.

\- So you're a religious woman?  
\- Excuse me? 

What an odd question to be asking not the less to someone you don't even know.

\- It's just that you keep fiddling with the cross at your neck. I presume it's because it's important to you.

Martha thought to call him on his rudeness but decided against it. At least he wasn't talking about stamps anymore.

\- Not really. My father and my grandfather were both reverends though, so I guess I wear this cross more as a habit.  
\- The scriptures are among my many passions, in particular Matthew's book...

Martha barely managed not to make a snide comment at that.  
\- Revelation resound more with me. An old family legend that we pass down from generation to generation.  
\- Do you have any children?  
\- Just a daughter, therefore the next generation is assured.

Mr Langford heartily laughed at that. It startled Martha, then she realized that his constant verbosity was the result of his nervousness. She was about to ask him what made him so uneasy when a woman appeared out of nowhere. This vision wasn't a first for Martha but this time the strange apparition talked to her.  
\- It's time. Brace yourself.

And just like that, Martha's all world was turned upside down.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It was raining. When did it start raining? And when had night fallen?

Martha had her head in the clouds but her body seemed to be waking up in stages. First the ringing in the ear, then the blur and the headache, the pain in her side and the heavy weight on her chest. 

So, obviously, the carriage had fallen over and she lost consciousness for an amount of time. 

Still a little light-headed, Martha tried to get rid of the chunk of wood that was crushing her chest only it didn't feel like wood, it felt like an arm and a torso. Mr Langford? With all her strength, Martha managed to push the young clerk away from her. It didn't look like he was breathing and a shard of glass in front of his mouth confirmed that. The poor man had died in the crash and probably saved her life.

Martha had no time for panicking as she suddenly felt a startling pain going from the upper leg to the chest. Focusing her sight, she noticed a sizeable gash on her left side and she almost passed out again. She never really tolerated the sight of blood and the wound needed to be sewed or cauterized.

Having no needle and thread at the moment, the young woman conjured some sparkles in her fingers and took a deep breath.

***

The chauffeur had perished too and Martha authorized herself to panic this time. After a few minutes of "Oh Lord, what am I going to do?"'s, she realized that a search party will be send once they noticed the shuttle was missing. All she had to do was to sit next to wreckage and wait patiently.

She amassed some wood from the vehicle and send a energy bowl to light a fire. Her magic was weak, probably because of the massive blow on her head, and maybe it was preferable to save her strength, but the night was cold and she had no idea how long she was going to wait.

\- No! You're doing it all wrong!  
\- Give it back! Give it back! I swear I'm telling Mama!

What were children doing so far from town in the middle of the night? 

One of the voice was oddly similar, though.

\- Gracie? Gracie!

Martha dizzily walked towards the voices and stumbled upon two little girls fighting over a tattered doll.

\- Hey there darlings. Are you alone? Where are your parents?

The girls abandoned the raggedy doll.

\- We were waiting for you, follow us.

Each girl took one of the woman's hand and marched deep into the forest.

After what felt like hours, the older girl turned toward Martha.

\- We're here. Good luck.

Then both children disappeared with an eerily laugh that put a chill on Martha's spine. 

Before her stood some ruins. Ruins that she immediately recognized because she had been looking for them for years. She smiled.

\- Could it be...?

***

Sleepy Hollow - Present Day 

\- Hey! Wake up! She's moving!  
\- What? You sure?  
\- Yeah! Look for yourself!

Indeed, the young woman who had been perfectly still for the past eleven days was fidgeting, as if she was trying to arise from a nightmare.

\- Come on, come on, you can do it.

She slowly opened her eyes then quickly shut them back. She made numerous attempts before she was able to keep them open.

\- Wow! Do you... Can you hear me?

The woman slowly nodded.

\- This is incredible! 

\- My name is Abigail Mills, with the Sleepy Hollow Sheriff Department and this is my sister Jenny. Could you tell us your name?  
\- M... Martha Foster, wh... Where am I?  
\- Foster? Are you related to Grace Foster?  
\- She's my daugh...ter. You know...her? Is she here? Gra...cie?  
\- Oh my God, Abbie...  
\- Mrs. Foster, please stay calm. You're in a hospital and your daughter is... I'm positive she's safe. But right now I need you to listen to me. Any second now, a doctor is going to walk into this room and ask you a bunch of questions. He probably won't like your answers so you need to say as little as possible. After that I promise to explain everything.

Abbie watched nervously as Martha put her brown eyes on her, then on Jenny, then back on her once again and shook her head in agreement.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Gorgon Cave - Eleven Days Prior

\- You sure this is gonna work?  
\- Miss Jenny, I can assure you that my study of Pygmalion's work was perfectly thorough and...  
\- Not what I asked, Crane. I wanna know if this thing is gonna blow to our faces or turn us into frogs or something?  
\- We need to try, Jenny.

Abbie sighed. She had been working on a way to reanimate their ancestor for a while, but, ever since she came back from 1781, she became relentless. 

Meeting Grace Dixon in the flesh had profoundly touched her; it broke her heart because she knew that fate would take Grace's life only a few years later and she couldn't do anything about it. She then made her mission to save this other Dixon woman. 

She felt Crane's eyes on her and looked up. He had his trademark sad but reassuring smile on his face, Abbie felt slightly better. For him, this rescue mission also was a safety net after the events of the last months. He had buried himself under work, in this way he scarcely had time to think. It's true that misery loves company.

Jenny decided to intervene before this two once again entered their little bubble of doom and untold feelings. She loved them and respected their bond but sometimes they got caught into their own world and that could be frustrating for anyone left on the outside.  
\- We're on the clock, guys!

According to Crane, they needed to cast the spell on sacred ground but the statue proved to be immovable. So they they settled on blessed water on the floor, laurel wreath and numerous altar candles all over.

Jenny hoped that it would be enough. Even if she had her doubts, she was exited to meet her ancestor. Out of nowhere, a prayer for good luck ran into her head.

\- So. Who's doing it?

Abbie and Crane looked at each other. They've been wary of magic lately, which was understandable. Jenny took the book from Crane's hand and started reading the spell.

The Latin words slide on her tongue, it's been years since she practiced. As she was deciphering the third line, she heard Abbie gasped behind her.

The statue had lost its stone appearance to take on a more crystal-like tone.

Jenny pursued her incantation, feeling relieved. It works! When she finished the last verse, the crystal barrier dissolved like water, revealing a very young looking woman.

She looked terrified, eyes wide open, mouthed forming an O and hands protectively in front of her. She stayed immobile for a second, as if still prisoner of stone, then suddenly she collapsed.

All three of them run to her and Abbie checked for her pulse.  
\- It's weak but she's alive!

Jenny let a relieved sigh and heard Crane doing the same. As she moved to hug her sister, she noticed fresh blood on the young woman's clothes.  
\- We need to get her to an hospital, she's injured.  
\- I agree but what are we going to tell? "Here's our 19th century ancestor, please save her!"

The girl had a serious bruise on her face and a blood-leaking wound at the abdomen. Abbie used the upper skirt of her dress to stop the bleeding. Crane was already handing her the first-aid kit.

\- No, no. I know a guy. An ER doctor that I met abroad. He won't ask a lot a questions. Let me check if he's on duty tonight or I'll ask him to meet us there.

***

Fortunately, Kevin was at the ER that night and frankly he had no time for questioning them. The girl's condition was critical, she had lost massive amount of blood and was in a coma.

Abbie and Jenny had prepared a story in case their attempt was successful. The girl was their estranged cousin coming to spend some time in Sleepy Hollow, had an accident on the way over. Simple enough. They even bought some clothes for her, at least the doctors and nurses weren't puzzled by her odd clothing. Her blood work and X-rays raised a lot more suspicions. Crane submitted that she came from a community without medical access and that seems to satisfy everyone for now.

The sisters took turns to watch over their unresponsive ancestor while Crane was looking for clues to identify her. They told the receptionist that she introduced herself as Miss Dixon, they decided against giving a false name in case she woke up and contradict them.

\- Any leads?

Crane looked up to see his partner at the archives' door. She seemed as exhausted as ever but he of all people couldn't miss the hopeful spark in her eyes. This lifted his heart a little.  
\- I'm afraid none whatsoever.

The spark didn't leave. Good.

\- From the informations I could gather, after Grace and Joseph demise, their only son, Isaac, was send away from Sleepy Hollow and never came back. Thanks to Miss Gilbert research, we know that a Mrs. Grace Roberts née Foster, possibly one of Isaac granddaughter, lived in town two generations later.  
\- My great-grandmother, yes. So the girl could be one of Isaac daughter, Grace Foster's aunt?  
\- Quite possibly, yes. Sadly, it doesn't give us a first name for this poor girl.  
\- Well that's a start, now we have an idea of her era, it may narrow our search. I don't think she was in the cave by accident.  
\- I will do my best to identify this young lady. Unless she regains consciousness and is able to do it for herself.

Crane once again plunged his long nose into the dozen books before him.

\- Hey! Thanks for doing this, it means a lot.  
\- You're very welcome, Lieutenant.

Again that damn smile, Abbie barely resist the urge to hug him tightly, she settled on squeezing his hand.

***

After eleven days, the young girl wasn't showing any sign of consciousness. If it wasn't for Jenny, Abbie would have lost hope a few days ago. But as her sister insisted, the female descendants of Grace Dixon were stubborn as hell and won't bail from a fight.

Jenny had left for a coffee run a few minutes ago. Abbie might have fell asleep because she suddenly felt herself shaken by her sister.

\- Hey! Wake up! She's moving!  
\- What? You sure?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, well, well... This chapter gave me some headaches and I'm still not sure about the ending but here goes nothing!  
> Also, I realized that I was using the French convention for dialogues (hyphens instead of quotation marks), sorry if it's confusing to anyone :(  
> Anyway, here's chapter 4!

Chapter 4

Martha observed the two women in front of her. For no real reason, she felt like she could trust them, these women with the strange outfits in this strange place and surrounded by these strange apparels.

When some doctors came to check on her, they declared themselves amazed by "her miraculous recovery". She once again introduced herself, confirming that Dixon was her maiden name. They examined her, using very unusual tools. Then, they began to ask silly questions like "Which year are we?" or "Can you tell me the name of the president?", Martha saw the Mills sisters' appalled faces so she kept her mouth shut.

Once the examination was done, the sisters went to follow the doctor out.

\- Excuse me? Could you stay with me, please?  
\- Yes, of course.

The woman that introduced herself as Abigail re-entered the room and closed the door.

\- Perfect. Now you can tell me why you have my grandma's journal in your possession.

***

Abbie stood in amazement. Granted, Grace's journal wasn't well hidden in her bag, but this Martha sure had a good sight for someone who just went out a coma.

A silence fell between the two women for a few seconds. Strangely, Martha didn't seem angry or anything, maybe slightly curious. Abbie took the journal out of her bag just as Jenny came back.

\- I guess we owe you an explanation.  
\- Oh, so we're doing it now? Ok, then.

Jenny took place next to the bed and looked up to her sister. Abbie suddenly felt like they were kids again and she had to shield her little sister from their foster parents. This was an oddly reassuring sensation.

\- So. This journal, me and Jenny, we inherited it.  
\- Inherited? From whom?

Abbie cast a glance at Jenny, hoping she would take her turn, she didn't.

\- Yes... From our mother, who got it from her father and himself from his mother... Grace.

Martha adjusted herself in the bed.

\- Well, that's impossible. Neither me nor my father have siblings.

At this moment, Jenny decided to chime in.

\- Not Grace Dixon, Grace Foster.  
\- Really? My five years old daughter? Is this a jest? Because it isn't a good one!  
\- We're not lying to you. Do you know what year it is?  
\- Again with this silly question! Of course l know that. I may have taken a blow but I'm still in my right mind. As for you two...

Jenny produced a newspaper. When and where did she get that?

\- Look at the date, Martha.

Their ancestor snatched the paper with obvious contempt. A few seconds later, she was displaying her emotions in stages : stupefaction, incredulity, horror.

\- Hi, I'm Jenny Mills, this is my sister Abbie and we're your descendants.

***

Ichabod had been standing guard beside Miss Foster for three hours now. He didn't dare to move even for coffee as he promised Miss Jenny and his Lieutenant that he'd stay so she wouldn't be alone upon waking up.

Ichabod was glad that they agreed to come home. The last few days had been tiring to say the least, the very long conversation they had with their ancestor couldn't have been less challenging. They deserved their rest.

As did the young Miss Martha here. Martha was Mrs. Dixon middle name, a knowledge he got when he was looking for his son.

Ichabod felt a pinch of sadness at the thought of his son. He had conscientiously ignored his pain about Henry and Katrina, helped by his researches on saving the girl. Seeing her lying there only seemed to remind him of his guilt.

"Get over yourself, Crane!" Ichabod's inner voice was queerly similar to Miss Mills', and it had the same effect. Martha's journey might have been tragic but her presence here should be a positive matter. He would make sure of it, if only to start and repay the debt he has with her family.

\- Surely you are not one of my doctors?

She startled him, he hadn't noticed her waking up.

\- I am not, indeed. Ichabod Crane, Madam. I'm a friend of Miss Mills and Miss Jenny.  
\- Oh, I see... A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Crane.

She smiled at him and once again he was hit by her uncanny resemblance to the Lieutenant, or more accurately, the Lieutenant's resemblance to her. She fumbled with her cushions, certainly to reach a siting position.

\- The nurse did something to the bed earlier, I couldn't see what but... Oh! That's convenient! Thank you.

She looked at the control in his hand with a childlike wonder.

\- You seem to take the situation quite fairly.  
\- There are only two possibilities, either I've gone massively mad or all is true. Sights, sounds even smells, everything is different. Although, the oddest thing might be that the man standing in front of me supposedly died long before my time.  
\- How... How do you know of me?  
\- Some very powerful men were looking for you, Mr Crane, and asked for my help.  
\- The Masons?  
\- Yes. They forgot to mention that you are a Witness, though...

Ichabod was astonished. This young girl was very well informed.

\- It makes sense. If Abigail is one of the Witnesses and you're here with her, you must be the other one.  
\- Alright, but why would the Masons come to you?  
\- Because of my relation to Katrina's coven.  
\- You were a member of the coven?  
\- No. I just knew of them.  
\- So you aren't a witch?  
\- Of course I'm a witch! Where do you think Abigail and Jennifer got their powers?


End file.
